[linux-audio-user] VST Plugins Revisited (Again)

[Dave Phillips]

Brad Fuller wrote:

> It's not using the plugins you're used to  ... it's a matter of 
> finding the right tool for the job. I'm happy to switch and I switch 
> around all the time. The plugins available on Mac and Windows (or just 
> mac, or just windows) are just not as extensive, or as deep on Linux. 
> The Wave Gold package alone has probably more plugins than all of 
> LADSPA combined (ok, don't quote me... I didn't count them -- just 
> making a point) and they are very good.

I've also noted that many of the freely available VST plugins are nice 
but not especially nicer than some of the LADSPA plugins or some of the 
native Linux standalone synths. The commercial stuff tends to be better 
for all the obvious reasons. Quantity is of course no very useful 
criterion here.

Me, I'm happy to be able to use LADSPA, VST/VSTi, and DSSI plugins on 
the same system. Can't do that elsewheres, I think.

As Chris Cannam said, now all we need is for more people to write more 
DSSI plugins. :)

> There are no apps like Acid, Reason, Kontakt, Absynth, etc. on linux. 
> I'm not suggesting that there be Linux clones. I'm just trying to say 
> that Linux just doesn't have the application breadth of the other two 
> OSs.

 From my POV it's just the opposite, but that's because I use sound and 
music software with which you may have little or no familiarity (I'll be 
happy if I'm wrong). Every piece of software you've mentioned so far has 
been a commercial package, but some of the most powerful software I use 
has no commercial counterparts. Much as the progams you've mentioned are 
nice and all, none has the depth of Csound5 or the compositional 
flexibility of Common Music, and I note that the Windows versions of 
those programs are not nearly so well-developed as their Linux versions.

> What we need is for NI or Waves or <fill in here> to produce their 
> wares for Linux. (please don't throw anything at me.)
> I don't think the competition will hurt FOSS but only encourage better 
> and better linux audio software -- free or for cost.
>
It's likely to happen, but it'll be a slow transition. And of course all 
the disadvantages that come with commercial software will arrive here 
too, e.g., odious licenses, closed-sources, proprietary attitudes 
towards development, insensitivity to users, updates only at the 
company's leisure, and of the complete disappearance of support and even 
product when the company decides to terminate. Well, you do get what you 
pay for, and what you pay for includes all that crap.

Weird, isn't it ? You don't actually own the stuff you pay for, but you 
do own the free stuff.

> leonard "paniq" ritter wrote:
>
>> to support your point, paul (which i find amusing), i wonder why 
>> someone would insist on using VST binaries. most of them are unstable 
>> and each one has its own interpretation of what the standard looks 
>> like. the result is a lot of hacked win32 hosts that most of the time 
>> only run 80% of all available plugins.
>>
> They fool around with WINE/etc because the VSTs get the job done. I'm 
> sure if they found a tool on Linux that could do the job, they'd use 
> it... or at least, I would.

Frankly, this ought to be anyone's bottom line (unless you're RMS of 
course). I happen to like the Crystal VSTi synth and I'm quite pleased 
to be able to use it under Linux. As many of you know, my favorite MIDI 
sequencer is Voyetra's Sequencer Plus, which runs beautifully under 
DOSemu. I also love the JACK Rack, Holborn's midirgui, QJackCtl, Ardour, 
Hydrogen, and many other native Linux soundapps. So the environment here 
at Studio Dave is somewhat hybrid, because that's how I can get my work 
done to best effect.

> I'm with Dave:
> "I find it more astonishing than amusing" that the windows VSTs work 
> at all!

Indeed. Sometimes I think that Kjetil, Paul, and Torben were all just 
having a lark at making such a thing possible, *because in Linux you can 
do that sort of thing*. They may have even been a bit surprised at the 
reactions prompted by their little utilities, but the cat is definitely 
out of the bag now. Personally, I look forward to continued development 
of the VST -> Linux bridge, it's certainly of value to me in my own 
music production.

Btw, I only recently got around to testing the dssi-vst software. It 
worked perfectly under Demudi 1.2.1, kudos to Chris C and all the RG crew.

Best,

dp